Shopify Masters The Solo Founder Who Did Everything Herself and Still Beat Beauty Industry Giants
Aug 14, 2025
Carina Chaz, the innovative founder of DedCool, built her multimillion-dollar fragrance company as a solo entrepreneur. She discusses her journey from a passionate idea to a thriving brand, highlighting the pivotal role of community engagement and social media. Carina emphasizes the importance of consumer feedback in shaping products and shares valuable lessons on perseverance and resilience through early setbacks. She also delves into transitioning from self-funding to securing private equity, navigating the challenges of scaling while fostering collaboration.
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Hobby-To-Business Cold-Calling Launch
- Carina Chaz started Dead Cool as a hobby on Instagram making ~100 bottles and cold-calling LA stores to sell on consignment.
- Early community feedback and trunk shows funded the brand for years and built her initial customer base.
Build In Public And Listen
- Build community publicly and listen to customers to shape products and launches.
- Use social feedback to prioritize development and launch best-selling fragrances based on requests.
Nasty Gal Validation Then Pivot
- A Nasty Gal contact in 2016 validated the concept even though their closure removed the immediate opportunity.
- Carina then hustled to local stores, which later called back saying customers liked the product and bought it off consignment.